Missouri Legislators Review Tighter Transgender Laws
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The Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee has heard comment on seven bills that aim to place further restrictions on transgender people in the state. One of these bills aims to remove the sunset clause — an expiration date — from a state law that prohibits transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming healthcare, like puberty blockers and hormone treatments. Another bill is intended to allow medical professionals and institutions to opt out of providing gender-affirming healthcare treatments that conflict with their beliefs.
Missouri Legislators Consider Further Restrictions on Transgender Rights
The Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee recently conducted an in-depth eight-hour session. The focus was the debate surrounding seven bills proposing further restrictions on transgender individuals.
The most debated bill seeks to remove the sunset clause from the SAFE Act. This controversial legislation, initially passed last year, restricts transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming health care services, such as puberty blockers.
The SAFE Act was passed with substantial amendments, including a grandfather clause for trans youth already receiving this form of medical care. The bill was also imposed with an expiration date on sections restricting access to hormone treatments and puberty blockers to garner support from Senate Democrats.
Rep. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, who sponsored the original bill, is now advocating for the removal of the sunset clause. He has also introduced a new bill allowing medical institutions and professionals to deny participating in gender-affirming procedures.
Despite medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, endorsing gender-affirming care, Hudson emphasizes the importance of respecting professionals’ ethical or religious beliefs.
The proposed bills have sparked intense discussions in the House, with more testimonies opposing the legislation than supporting it. Jamie Reed, a former caseworker at the Washington University Transgender Center, is among the few advocating for the extension of the SAFE Act.
Conversely, Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of PROMO Missouri, an LGBTQ public policy and advocacy organization, criticized the detrimental effects of such legislation on transgender and queer Missourians.
Other bills under consideration include restrictions on bathroom access based on sex assigned at birth, new definitions in the Missouri Human Rights Act for “sex”, “male” and “female”, and prohibition on employers requiring employees to share restrooms with opposite-sex individuals.
While these laws are being debated, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene on transgender students’ bathroom access in public schools, leaving the matter to lower courts’ discretion. The decision supports transgender students’ rights to use facilities aligned with their gender identity. Find out more about the ongoing debate.
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